Pantry-only meal challenges could lower your grocery bill — but it might mean eating weird soup
Canadians toss out three kg of food a day. Experts say reducing that can mean big savings
Lindsey Harrington just completed what she calls "no gro' January." During the first month of the year, she doesn't go to the grocery store. Instead, she uses whatever's left in her fridge, freezer and pantry.
"I probably could have even went another week or two," Harrington, a writer in Halifax, told the Cost of Living.
The 39-year-old estimates she saved between $200 to $400 during the month by eating only what was already in her house, and avoiding any trips to the grocery store.
Harrington has even encouraged a friend to join the challenge, and experts say it's a great way to not only save some cash, but prevent food that might be at the bottom of your deep freeze from going to waste.
According to a 2024 report by Waste and Resources Action Program, a U.K. NGO, and the United Nations Environment Program, 1.05 billion tonnes of food went to waste in 2022, which includes inedible food.
It found that each person wastes, on average, about 79 kilograms of food each year.
Some of that is unavoidable, but doing a yearly purge like Harrington is a great way to make sure that what you buy doesn't end up in the trash — even if it means you have to eat some V8 and navy bean soup.
No grocery, no problem
Harrington started her no-grocery January a few years ago. She wanted to save a few dollars while also balancing out over consumption during the Christmas season.
The first part of the month is easy, she says. She has chocolates left over from Christmas, and boxes of frozen appetizers. But as the month goes on and her supplies dwindle, she's forced to make some interesting choices.
"I ended up making a soup out of, like, just cans of V8 [juice] and, like, navy beans," said Harrington, recalling a past no gro' January. "I was like, I guess this is my life. But, you know, it's still fun and probably pretty healthy as well as pretty economical towards the end."
She tries not to purposely stock up before January, but she does make an exception for condensed milk so she has something to mix into her coffee.
During the challenge, she's found some items she totally forgot about, such as frozen yogurt and a year-old piece of birthday cake.
"There are always a few unidentified frozen objects — UFOs — that come out of the deep freeze that I didn't attempt even when they were unfrozen because I still couldn't tell what they were," said Harrington.
But her husband isn't as thrilled with the tradition.
"He's definitely like a meat-and-potatoes guy. So, you know, if I want him to eat dal for three meals in a row, he's not exactly stoked," said Harrington.
- Just Asking wants to know: What questions do you have about making food more accessible and affordable in Canada? Fill out the details on this form and send us your questions ahead of our show on January 8.
How much do Canadians waste?
Paul van der Werf, an adjunct professor at Western University in London, Ont., has been elbows deep in that waste. Van der Werf and his research team sifted through the garbage of 200 households. While the households gave their permission, they were not told what day the trash would be collected.
He found households, on average, threw out three kilograms of waste a week. That would be 150 kilograms a year, per household. Part of that was avoidable food waste, which could've been eaten, while the rest was food waste that should've been in a green bin program.
He said some households were better than others, but that food waste added up. He says people were throwing about $700 to $1,800 year into the bin, costing Canadians up to $25 billion annually.
"I don't think people understand how much they throw out and what that might actually be worth," said Van der Werf.
"So reminding them of that and then giving them some simple tips to help them manage their food, I think that's a way that we can cut into that $700 or $1,800 per year that are being wasted."
Simple changes
Saving money on groceries can make a big difference in a household budget. Amanda Norris, senior economist with Farm Credit Canada, says there's a big difference between food prices now and where they were five years ago.
"Since 2020, we saw food inflation increase about 24 per cent. And when we break it down by food category, things like meat products and bakery and cereal, over those five years, experienced a larger increase," said Norris.
But you don't have to do a total pantry purge like Harrington.
Van der Werf suggests making a list so that when you go to the grocery store, you're there with a purpose, and not just wandering around aimlessly, haplessly putting stuff in your cart.
He also suggests making more frequent trips to the store, and developing cooking skills.
"We don't all need to be Gordon Ramsay … but some basic cooking skills to understand how much we actually need to make versus how much we do make," said Van der Werf.
And, he adds, make sure to eat your leftovers.
Harrington says she will continue with her annual January tradition because it's not only about saving money or clearing out her fridge. It also reminds her of how fortunate she is.
She also hopes to do a smaller version of the challenge midway through the year.
"It kind of brings you back to the basics and thinking about, say, when our parents were kids and it was a treat to get an orange in the toe of their stocking," said Harrington.
"Just being able to have that delayed gratification, and to be a bit more grateful for what we have and, you know, making use of what we have."
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Produced by Jennifer Keene
